The Powerhouse at Stave Falls with Toddlers

Take two toddlers to Staves Fall Powerhouse, she said.

It’ll be fun, she said.

sigh. 

I love historical sites and heritage buildings, but doing ANYTHING with two toddlers is exhausting. They both enjoy going in opposite directions, doing different things, and being absolutely needy in their own rights. Visiting heritage sites with toddlers is totally doable, but the experience is definitely more rewarding when you can tackle some one-on-one time with the kids.

That said this was actually a really great experience.

We decided to go after visiting (affiliate link) LagoonBaby in Maple Ridge. And because the day before Mama Koala posted on Facebook about her trip.  I’m always looking for things to do with the kids in Mission after visiting my favourite cloth diaper retailer, and sometimes I never know where to start. Today, I realised I should start with the things I know and love. The Powerhouse at Staves Fall is a historical site I’m already familiar with and enjoy making it the perfect thing to do with young kids after visiting Lagoon Baby.

The Stave Falls Visitor Centre isn’t the most friendly heritage site for young kids, but it’s totally a fun indoor experience for young kids.

Best: Kids under 5 are free.

Better: Adults are only $6 CDN.

The Powerhouse at Stave Falls

I can’t help it, I love electricity. I’m not sure if the love occurred beroe or after my time working for BC Hydro. Nevertheless, I love a good dam or powerhouse.

This National Historic Site of Canada is a one-hundred-year-old facility for the generation of electricity for the province of BC <– super technical answer. 

Basically, you get to learn how electricity is made using dams and water be checking out the generators and turbines used! It’s pretty neat.

With Toddlers…

Sure, you could visit the Powerhouse without toddlers and take in every video, and ever sign, but let’s get real, toddlers are too busy for reading signs and taking audio tours.

• Catch the First 3 minutes of the Introductory Film
  • The average attention span of a toddler, they were originally intrigued, but quickly bored.
    
    
• Experiment with Electricity.
  • The next few rooms are the most interesting and if you can grasp their attention, this is where the fun science part is. We had fun playing with the static balls, cycling until a light turned on, and playing with solar to make the trains move. 
• Wait for the Big WOW – The Generators from Above.
  • Both kids were in complete awe seeing the turbines and generators from the second floor. We spent a good amount of time running around and admiring the “big machines” from above.
    
• Check them out from the Main Floor
  • You can get down on the Powerhouse floor with the turbines and generators and see it all in person.
  • Truthfully, we just ran around and played with the wrench for a good portion of this hour.
    
• Hide & Go Seek in the History Hallway
  • Sure you could loiter and look at all the really cool old appliances, but my toddlers were not interested. They mostly played hide and go seek while I tried to usher them out.
• Exit for a Play in the Front
  • You’ll probably believe me when I say we spent more time playing at the front drain cover than we did inside the Powerhouse, but you know #kidswillbekids

 

Total Visit Time: 1 hour. 

Total Cost: $6.

Total Value: Worth It.

I love getting out to see new things and do new things.

Stave Falls Powerhouse was an easy historical site to explore with a toddler. The experience was worthwhile and I would definitely recommend it if you are in the area and looking for something to do.

We took the opportunity to visit while checking out (affiliate link) LagoonBaby in MapleRidge.  This was a great thing to do with the kids between Chilliwack and Maple Ridge.